Reciprocating endless band knife bread-slicing machine



Nov. 4, 1947. H. J. CRINER RECIPROCATING ENDLESS BAND KNIFE BREAD-SLICING MACHINE Filed May l5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 4, 1947. H. J. cRlNER `2,430,160

RECIPROCATING ENDLESS BAND KNIFE BREAD-SLIC'ING MACHINE Filed May 15, v1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Mmm Patented Nov. 4, 1947 1U Nlrau -f-sfmireas senteur .or-F1os ifnncrraoca'rmc ENnLEssBANn :KNIFE nananrsLIcING MACHINE :Harry J; Grinera Davenport, Iowa, assignor of lone-half to-:A..;.G. BusheDavenportyIowa ApplicationMayi, 1944;:Serial No:'535:,71'6

12 claims. il

Myinvention relates;` to limmovements inf-bread slicing machines.

'-Ihe-objectsof my invention are-toprovi-de'a reciprocating bread slicing machine in whichthe cutting-elements are composed of a plurality of i band-blades so arranged that the "bandi-'blades vwill travel longitudinally -at-k the-same time :that

theyare reciprocating,v whereby the c-uttingsegement of each blade 4will-y be"continually=clianging lso-as to greatly lengthen' the life of'the'bladeand i v theperiodswhioh may -elapse between successive grinding or sharpenings of theblades as 'conn Lpared -with the relatively short'\b1ades-now" in common use in 'reciprocating-machines -`Other objects will appear from the description.

I accomplish these objects by t-he means illustrated in the accompany-ing drawings, inl i-wh-ich: Figure' 1 is -ar front elevation' of one formY of-'my .machine -inwhi'ch asingle vertical -column'is utilizedto carry a pair of spaced parallel-f drums or pulleys;

'Figure2 is aside elevation of lmy machine; y-Figure' is a horizontal cross-section on'fthe line 3-3'of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a horizontal#cross-sectionyon the' linedof Figure l;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail of i vthe `-spacing mechanism on the line 5-5 of Figurer 4;

Figure 6 is a detail of an `alternate form of'drivingmechanism with vportions'oi the fra-me broken raway; V'and -Figure7 isa detail rear view l(if-'the upper portion of the driving-mechanism shown inFigure; YFigures 8 and` 9-are details of an alternate form of driving'mechanism;

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail showingithe lengthened hub of the gearlperm-ittinglongitudinal travel of the drive-rod therein;

Figure 11 shows -analternateform of-driving mechanism;

'Figures l2 andlS show the drums or pulleys standing at an angle to eachother instead of having their -axes contained lwithin the same plane;

Figure 14 is an enlarged detail' showing the a-rrangement of the spacing fingers -andispringto which they are attached;

Figure 15 is an enlarged'det-ail in section on the line vI 5 5 5 of Figure 14, but with-portions of the blades added;

Figure 16 shows an adjustable mountingv for the `shaft of the pulleys;

Figure 17 is a detail with thehub in section on the line Irl-l 'I of Figureltl.

i-My apparatus-comprisesa Abase I rto which is armsA IIA andIZ. farms' l I and `I 2 are pivotally unitedfto va `drivelsecured oneormore columns? 2v with hubs l3:-anfl'll in which are mounted shafts 5 and E .on whichlare .journaled drums orrpulleysV 1 and on .whichthe blades'rg arefmounted, preferably in'gure'f form.

The :pulleys `'I and' are suitably spaced-.apart and .ofzsuch diameter that when the blades 9-are mounteclthereon in' figure form, the 'bladesA will l crossrmidwayof .theipulleyswith all of their `cut-A utingzedges extending in the same direction.

Rigidly .united to' the-shaftsl andi 6, are rocker The outer ends of the `rocker rod tllby pivots I-S-andl I4.

rlhe lower rocker armv II has 'formed integral therewith a -roundhead whichiformstherinner The inner member of the' ball port I8 formed integral with the base I.

"The'worm gear II is driven by yfa worm I'I.I on

' :the .shaft of themotor I`S or other prime mover, 'aand as the motor turns, it rotates the worm I"I.I :andthe worm 'gearf Il. carrying with it the lower end ofthe connecting rod l51an'd thus producing la reciprocatingup and 'down movement of the :rocker arm I I which carries with it the drive-rod I il! andthe upper-'rocker arm I2. The rocker arms' II :and I 2 are rigidly united to the shafts 5 and respectively and as the rocker arms reciprocate,

Athey 'cause' the drumsiI and 8 to rotate recipro` catinglyffona-short distance. The drums I and *8 carrythe blades-'9 land as the drums rotate reciprocatingly fthey transmit .a reciprocating longitudinal'movementto the blades 9.

If desired, the .drive-rod IL! and the y-ullper rocker.;arm I2'may.be omitted and the blades themselves relied on to transmit va reciprocating rota-ry: movement from Athe lower pulley II'ftoithe upper pulley 8.

:In thefforms shown in :Figures l and2,`;the

-blades merelyireciprocate without any progressive movement .andwheniagiven cutting segment of fa blade :becomes dull, the blade may be manually adjusted. to .bringnew cutting segments,v into ac-A tion,.b,ut this will necessitate stoppingthemachine and. adjusting the blades manually.

'In Figure GI'have showna form of my machine in which the pulleysnot only reciprocate rotatably, Lbut also'are advanced a short-distance witheachreciprocation so thatnew cutting seg- 'mentsI of the 1 blades arecontinuallyv broughtiinto action. I accomplish this by slidably mounting the drive-rod l in suitable sleeves 20 carried by brackets 2l and 22 rigidly united to the hubs 3 an'd 4.

Upon the ends of the drive-rod I0 I mount worms 23 and`24 which mesh with corresponding worm gears 25 and 2B rigidly united to the shafts and 6 respectively. A link or connecting rod' 21 has one end connected by a ball and socket joint 21.I with the lower end of the drive-rod l0, and the other end of the link or connecting rod is connected by a ball and socket joint 21.2 to a pivot pin mounted in the face of the worm gear 28 which in turn is driven by a worm 29 on one end of the shaft of the motor I9.

The worm gear 28 is mounted upon a shaft 30 revolvably mounted in a suitable support 3 I united to the base l.

Various forms of drive may be utilized for reciprocating and rotating the drive-rod le and I do not limit by claims to the speciiic forms of drive shown. Y

In Figures 8 and 9 I have shown an alternate form of drive in which a drive wheel 32 is pivot `ally mounted upon a support 33 united to the base l. It is driven by a spur gear wheel 34 mounted upon the shaft of the motor i9 and carries a crank pin 35 on which is pivotally mounted one end of the connecting rcd 36, the upper end of which is provided with a pivotal mounting 31 uniting it to an arm 38 rigidly mounted upon the drive-rod I0 so that as the drive wheel 32 revolves, it will communicate a reciprocating vertical motion to the drive-rod l0.

VA bevel gear wheel 39 may be formed integral with the drive wheel 32 or`otherwise operatively connected therewith and a complementary bevel gear Wheel 40 is mounted upon an elongated hub 4l which is rotatably carried in a bracket 42 united to the support 33. The drive-rod I0 is splined in the hub 4l so as to rotate therewith but to beV free for vertical movement relative to the hub 4 I.

The upper end of the drive-rod i3 is fitted with a worm 24 which meshes with the worm gear 26, the latter being rigidly united to the shaft E. The upper end of the drive-rod I 6 is slidingly mounted in the sleeve 20 united to the bracket 22.

My improved arrangement is also applicable to machines embracing a pair of pulleys 1 and 8 mounted upon shafts 5 and 6 set at an angle to each other as shown in Figures 12 and 13 whereby the cutting segments of each blade at the crossing point will be spaced apart by reason of the angle of the pulleys as described in my Patent No. 2,236,245. In such cases the hubs 3 and 4 may be rigidly united to the frame 2 as shown in Figure 12 and if desired, the hub 4 may be formed integral with a bar 44 slidingly mounted in a groove formed in the frame 2 which may be locked in place bystud-bolts 45.

Any type of spacers may be used with my machine.

In Figure 14 I have shown a spacing device comprising a flat coiled spring 45 coiled around a suitable shaft 41 mounted in a hub 48 rigidly secured to the frame 2 or formed integral there- `With. Slotted spacing fingers 49 have one en'd 52 to receive the elongated hub 53 of the handwheel 54 and when the handwheel 54 is turned in one direction, it will draw the shaft 41 inwardly s0 as to contract the spring 46 and narrow the spacing of the fingers 49 and when turned in the opposite direction, will permit the spring 46 to force the ngers 49 apart by its resilient action.

The shafts 41 may be provided with sprocket wheels 53.1 carrying a sprocket chain 55 and a hub 56 may be united to the lower'sprocket wheel and threaded to correspond with the upper hub 53 and the shafts 41.

One or both of the hubs 48 may be united to a bar 51 adjustably united to the frame 2 by bolts or set screws 58 so that either one or both of the spacing assemblies may be adjustable vertically of the frame.

In the drawings I have shown the pulleys supported by a single column, but it is obvious that an additional column may be added by lengthening the shafts 5 and 6 or the apparatus may be mounted in a suitable housing to take the place of the columns in any of the forms in common use.

It is likewise obvious that equivalent driving means other than shown in the drawings may be adopted and that the size, proportions and arrangement of the various parts may be varied to a large extent without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not limit my claims to the precise forms shown in the drawings, which are to be regarded as illustrative rather than as working drawings. Likewise Various forms of chutes and conveyors are well known and in common use for carrying the bread tc the cutting segments of the blades and any desired form of conveyor may be utilized with my machine.

In the operation of my machine there will be Very little vibration as compared with ordinary reciprocating machines because of the light weight of the vertically reciprocating parts and because the reciprocating rotary movement will not produce anywhere near the vibratory effect produced by the ordinary machines which have vertically reciprocating frames.

Likewise, the breakage of band-blades due to crystallization from continually traveling around the pulleys, will be greatly reduced s0 that the blades will last much longer.

The use of band-blades will do away with the frequent sharpening required for the straight blades of the ordinary reciprocating machines and in the form shown in Figure 6, the periods required for sharpening will be extended somewhat proportionately to the greater length of the blades as compared to the short blades commonly in use on reciprocating machines.

I claim:

1. In a bread slicing machine, a support, a pair of spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in figure 8 form, means for simultaneously imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the shafts and pulleys through a limited arc and means for continuously advancing the blades uniformly when the machine is in operation.

2. In a bread slicing machine, a support, a pair of spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in figure 8 form, a rocker arm united to one of the shafts, a drive wheel revolvably mounted on the support with a prime mover to drive it, a connecting rod to connect the rocker arm to the drive wheel and arranged to reciprocate the rocker arm through a limited arc and simultaneously impart a reciprocating limited rotary motion to the shaft and p-ulley thereon and means for continuously advancing the blades in a given direction around the pulleys at a uniform rate when the machine is in operation.

3. In a bread slicing machine, a support, a pair of spaced shafts revolve-bly mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in figure 8 form, rocker arms united to the shafts respectively, a drive rod pivotally united to the rocker arms, a prime mover, means actuated by the prime mover to reciprocate the drive rod longitudinally whereby a reciprocating rotary movement will be produced in the shafts and pulleys through a limited arc and means for continuously advancing the blades in a given direction around the pulleys at a uniform rate when the machine is in operation.

4. A bread slicing machine as described in claim 3, a drive wheel revolvably mounted below the lower rocker arm, a connecting rod having its lower end connected by a ball and socket joint to the drive wheel and its upper end connected by a ball and socket joint to said rocker arm whereby the revolution of said drive wheel will cause the rocker arm to travel reciprocatingly through a limited arc, and a prime mover to revolve the drive wheel.

5. In a bread slicing machine, the combination with a support, of a pair of spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in figure 8 form, means for simultaneously imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the shafts through a limited arc, comprising worm-gear wheels united to the pulley shafts, a drive rod carrying worms arranged in mesh with said wheels, a driving shaft with a suitable prime mover to drive it, a drive wheel driven by said shaft, a crank pin mounted in the drive wheel, and a connecting rod connected to the crank pin and to the drive rod whereby the drive rod will be reciprocated longitudinally with cach revolution of the drive wheel.

6. A slicing machine as described in claim 5, and means to cause the drive rod to revolve progressively simultaneously with its reciprocation.

7. A combination as described in claim 5, the drive rod being slidably splined in the hub of a bevel gear revolvably mounted in the support, in mesh with a corresponding bevel gear mounted on the driving shaft whereby a progressive rotary movement will be imparted tc the drive rod and the pulleys simultaneously with their reciprocating movement.

8. A combined reciprocating rotary and progressive rotary drive for shafts comprising a support, a shaft revolvably mounted thereon, a worm gear mounted on the shaft, a driving-rod having a worm secured upon one end thereof in mesh with the worm gear and its opposite end being slidably mounted and splined in an elongated hub carrying a driven bevel gear wheel in mesh with a drive bevel gear wheel mounted upon a drive shaft, a crank united to the drive shaft and a connecting rod connecting the drive rod to the crank so arranged that as the drive shaft revolves it will cause the drive-rod to reciprocate longitudinally and simultaneously revolve.

9. In a bread slicing' machine, the combination with a support, of a pair o f spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in figure 8 form. means for simultaneously imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the shafts and pulleys through a limited arc, and means for advancing the blades a fixed distance at each reciprocation of the pulleys.

10. In a bread slicing machine, the combination with a support, of a pair of spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united tothe shafts carrying a, plurality of band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in figure 8 form, means for simultaneously imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the shafts and pulleys through a limited arc, and means for continuously advancing the blades at a very slow rate when the machine is in operation.

11. In a bread slicing machine, a support, a pair of spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of endless band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation, and means for simultaneously imparting a reciprocating rotary motion to the shafts and pulleys through a limited arc, together with means for continuously and uniformly advancing all of the blades in a given direction around the pulleys at a very slow rate when the machine is in operation.

12. In a bread slicing machine, the combination with a support, of a pair of parallel spaced shafts revolvably mounted in the support, pulleys united to the shafts carrying a plurality of endless band-blades mounted upon the pulleys in spaced relation and arranged in gure 8 form, and means for simultaneously imparting a reciprocating rotary motioni to the shafts and pulleys through a limited arc, together with means for continuously and uniformly advancing all of the blades in a given direction around the pulleys at a very slow rate when the machine is in operation.

HARRY J. CRINER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 15, 1915 

